Emilia’s words left Cynthia feeling even more confused than before. “… Aren’t they both older than you? Also… where exactly do you get your confidence from?”
The crimson-haired girl giggled. ‘From being your partner, of course. Look at how amazing and adorable you are, ah~ You wouldn’t choose me if I weren’t so good, no?’
Cynthia knew that her embarrassment and lack of response would only make her partner feel more smug, but since she couldn’t come up with a retort, she could only grit her teeth bitterly.
No matter how she wanted to smack this little princess upside down, Cynthia wasn’t quite delusional enough to do that yet. She knew that not only would it be fruitless, it might just also get her an undeserved ass beating later.
In that case, wouldn’t it be wiser to just shut up and bear with it? She couldn’t expect her villainess to be kind and forgiving after being poked, after all!
The fact that she had been so ‘successful’ in turning this good little princess into a vengeful villainess made Cynthia feel both proud and sad.
If only she could do it in a way that it worked on everyone except her… how wonderful would that be?
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It didn’t take long for everyone to decide which horse they wanted, and Emilia couldn’t help but chuckle when she noticed how they seemed to have picked them based on appearance alone.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, the crimson-haired girl couldn’t deny that her little ducklings had good taste.
The only thing she found strange was that everyone had avoided the most magnificent looking horse – a Friesian with an extremely rich, pure black coat and a full, regal mane that made it seem like a fashion model amongst horses, especially when combined with the lofty way it moved.
’Wouldn’t it be perfect for Dixie if… ahh! Don’t tell me none of them picked this one because they wanted to leave the best for me?!’
Whether it was done subconsciously or intentionally, Emilia couldn’t deny that this also made her very happy.
Although the Friesian didn’t look bothered at all for not being picked, the old man who brought it in looked both disappointed and indignant.
Of course, his expression quickly returned to pride when he saw Emilia approach him. “Little girl, you have good eyes!”
Emilia tilted her head with a smile. “Thank you. Is there anything in particular I should know?”
Although he had already been told that the crimson-haired girl knew what she was doing, the old man still felt a little awkward when it finally came time to entrust his hot-blooded ‘child’ to this frail-looking beauty. “Although Ellen isn’t very temperamental, are you sure you can handle her on your own?”
He didn’t dare imagine the scene if anything went wrong at all, let alone the ‘aftermath’ of having his horse trample over the White Deer’s little princess.
To say that he was nervous would be an understatement.
Emilia smiled. “Don’t worry.”
Despite the vast difference in their age, the old man knew that their identities didn’t allow him to say any more beyond this point, so he could only sigh in his heart. ‘Well… hopefully she’ll be fine. Too bad I can’t get that photo for my little grandson, but it is what it is.’
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Although the field that Noelle had arranged for them was in the outskirts of the city, Emilia had to admit that the additional space gave her a lot of freedom to come up with more effective training plans.
Naturally, her practice sessions were more for relaxation and fun than anything else, so it went without saying that Emilia prioritized teaching her friends.
After they were done somewhat familiarizing themselves with the horses they had picked, the crimson-haired girl decided to split the training sessions into two groups to speed up the process, with one side being handled by the trainers.
Since she believed in her own ability more than anyone else, the ones with the least experience were naturally kept on her side.
Penny couldn’t help but be heartbroken when she was told that she had to part with her princess alongside Dixie, Hazel, and Thea, even if it was only for a while.
The ponytailed girl’s internal drama was clear for all to see on her face, and Emilia could only shake her head with an amused smile. “Don’t be so down. We’ll go have some fun at Crystal’s restaurant after everyone’s done with the day, alright?”
”A date with the princess?! YES! I’ll work hard!”
Looking at the instantly peppy little blonde rush away, as if in a hurry to get the day over with so she can have her ‘reward’, Emilia couldn’t help but sigh. “Alright, who wants to go first?”
Seeing how they all just stared at her blankly, Emilia decided that she might as well go with Crystal. Anyway, Adele seemed like the type who could learn more by watching, while Koko… well, such a tough nut was best left for last, lest she exhaust herself in advance.
The blonde heroine nervously led the light brown Haflinger she had picked to Emilia’s side, and the crimson-haired girl couldn’t help but sigh at how well its golden mane matched with Crystal’s hair.
The haflinger’s trainer seemed oddly nervous as she kept fidgeting in her place, but Emilia had already made it clear that she wasn’t allowed to do anything unless there was an emergency, so she didn’t dare to move too close.
After making sure that there was nothing wrong with the reins or the saddle, Emilia turned to Crystal with a smile. “Are you nervous?”
Crystal nodded hesitantly. “A-A little.”
The crimson-haired girl chuckled. “How about I take you for a ride first?”
The heroine’s eyes opened wide, but before she could realize what was happening, Emilia had already mounted the horse with ease and extended a graceful hand towards her with a smile. “Come on?”
The blonde girl subconsciously put her palm in her girlfriend’s, and her heart thumped in her chest like a galloping little deer as she felt the world spin.
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